Planter and method of preparing soil

ABSTRACT

A combination of rolling ground contacting tools for preparing a seed bed, fertilizing, dropping seed and covering and forming the soil about the seed under existing conditions without previous soil preparation.

D United States Patent 1151 3,701,327

Krumholz 1 51 Oct. 31, 1972 s41 PLANTER AND METHOD OF 3.237577 3/1966Wilkens ..172/555 x PREPARING SOIL 3,362,361 1/1968 Morrison. Jr...111/85 X 3,122,111 2/1964 Taylor ..111/80 1 Hal C 1 [m mentor 1v? C es395,638 1/1889 Stuart ..172/604 x 3,331,341 7/1967 Hartwig ..111/73Awsnw Allil-chylmm 'f ll 2,738,969 3/1956 Morris 6181. ..111/85 x I FMllwwkee' 1,204,239 11/1916 BOZaId ..111/88 [22] Filed: June 1, 19702,691,353 10/1954 Secondo ..111/87 X [2|] APP! L736 PrimaryExaminer-Robert E. Pulfrey Rehted Appucmm Dab Assistant ExaminerStephenC. Peilegrino I Attorney-Kenneth C. McKivett, Robert B. Benson [63]Continuation of Ser. No. 662,393, Aug. 22, and Charles L Schwab 1967,abandoned.

57 ABSTRA T [52] US. Cl. ..lll/8l,111/85,111/87 l C [51] Int. Cl ..AOlc5/00 A co nation of rolling ground contacting tools for [58] Field ofSearch ..1li/85, 88, 80, 73, i4, 87, preparing a seed bed, fertilizing.dr pping ed and 1 11/81; 172/144, 604, S55 covering and forming the soilabout the seed under existing conditions without previous soilpreparation. Cited [56] References 2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 809,888 1/1906 Avery ..172/604 X PLANI'ER AND METHOD OFPREPARING SOIL This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 662,393,filed 8/22/67, now abandoned.

The present invention relates generally to an improved method andapparatus for preparing soil and planting seed which is characterized bythe planting of seed and, if desired, the placement of fertilizer underexisting ground conditions without previous soil preparation.

The present embodiment of the invention is designed to operate in anyrow crop, pasture or meadow aftermath. It will cut through sod orsurface trash and loosen a cross section of soil to the desired widthand seed zone depth. It will place the seed at the proper depth in theloosened zone of soil. It will deposit the desired quantity offertilizer any place desired, either below, above, or to the side of theseed zone. Finally, this planter will firm sufiicient soil around thedeposited seed for immediate movement of moisture to the seed resultingin quick germination and uniform emergence of the young seedlings.

An object of this invention is to place seed into the soil for propergermination and emergence and this through any field surface trashcondition without any prior or past planting field tillage required.

Prior to the present invention the following operations were performedprior to planting: plowing, disk harrowing (up to two times) spike toothharrowing (up to two times), planting, cultivating (up to four times) orin other words, approximately ten field operations were required whenthe present invention calls for but one pass across the field. This oldconventional method resulted in increased soil compaction, tillagecosts, soil erosion, manpower requirement and equipment investment. Inaddition, such conventional practice made less moisture available duringthe growing season.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvedplanter mechanism which greatly improves the efficiency of growingcrops.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a combination ofrolling ground contacting tools for preparing a seed bed, fertilizing,dropping seed and covering and firming the soil about the seed in onetrip across the field regardless of the type of field.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a combination of planting mechanismsembodying the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the combination shown in FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, the planter frame 5 includes transversetool bars 8, 9 and 10 which can be supported on a tractor as a fullymounted implement or the frame 5 can be equipped with its own carryingor transport wheels as a trail or pull behind type planter, as shown inthe drawings. In either case, the front tool bar 8 mounts fixed orspring loaded coulters 12 having flutes 14 and which coulters are springbiased downwardly into the ground. It should be understood thatpenetration of the coulters 12 into the ground is accomplished by thestatic weight of the implement assembly and the depth of penetration isgauged from either the tractor rear wheels in the case of a fullymounted implement or from separate gauge wheels adjustably fixed to theplanter frame in the case of the trail behind planter shown.

The planter units, generally indicated at 16, consist of parallel linkframes 18 which are laterally spaced and rigidly secured to tool bar 10by means of clamps 20. A cross tube 22 unites the rear portions of thetwo frames 18 through the medium of standard 19 to which frames 18 arepivotally attached and tube 22 also rigidly mounts the double disk seedopener 24. A vertically adjustable press wheel frame 28 is pivotallymounted on standards 19 at their forward ends 30 and has a press wheel32 joumaled between their rearward ends 34. Tumbuckles 35 are providedto adjust arms 28 and thereby wheel 32 relative to standards 19. A seedhopper 36 is mounted on the double disk seed opener boot casting 37. Afertilizer hopper 38 is rigidly mounted on the cross bar 9 by means ofbracket 40. A fertilizer disk opener 41 is mounted on frame member 9.Fertilizer is conveyed to the opener 41 by means of a flexible tube 42.

It is to be noted that a series of rotating elements in combination havebeen provided. This series being at least three rotating elements andfour if a fertilizer distributor is used. These rotating elementspositioned in general longitudinal alignment prepare a relatively narrowstrip of soil (approximately 2 1% inches wide) through the sod orsurface trash, deposit seed and fertilizer in the prepared strip of soiland close or compress the soil around the seed leaving a depression inthe soil above the seed. The working of the soil, depositing of seed andfertilizer, and closing of the seed furrow by means of rotating memberskeeps the lateral movement of soil to a minimum so that the planter canbe operated through heavy trash or sod. It is also an advantage to keepfrom forcing or troweling a groove in the soil as with a nonrotatingopener which would result in air pockets and difficulty in firming thesoil around the seed.

The aforementioned combination of elements operates efficiently to cutthrough the sod or surface trash and prepare a loosened seed zone in thesoil. This combination uses a fluted rotating disk coulter 12 to cutthrough the trash and penetrate the soil, the action of the flutes 14has a loosening effect on the soil to prepare a seed zone approximately2 a inches wide for the seed. A plain coulter blade or a runner openerwould not cut the sod or trash as efiiciently and would tend to compactthe soil, forming a trench with a well defined wall which trench wouldmake it difficult to close and firm the soil around the seed. Thiscombination also uses a conventional double disk seed opener 24 tooperate in the loosened zone formed by the fluted coulter 12, therebyefficiently cutting through any remaining trash or sod to obtain anarrow profile trench or furrow in which the soil isn't compacted sothat some soil falls back over the seed. If desired, springs (not shown)may be provided to get even penetration of the seed opener 24 to itsgauged depth.

In the combination if fertilizer is desired to be deposited, a rotatingdisk opener 41 is used where desired either ahead or behind the doubledisk seed opener 24. When located ahead of the seed opener, as

shown, the slightly laterally offset fertilizer opener 41 tends tofurther loosen the soil worked up by the leading fluted coulter 12. Bylocating the fertilizer opener 41 behind the seed opener 24, the lateralmovement of soil by the fertilizer opener tends to close the seed furrowthereby assuring the soil is available to cover the seed.

With the combination, the soil is firmed around the seed to eliminateair pockets and facilitate movement of moisture to the seed. In thecombination shown, the wheel 11 drives the fertilizer dispensingmechanisms in a conventional manner and gauges the depth of operation ofthe fertilizers dispensing mechanism. Gauge wheel 11 is pivotallyattached to bracket 45 carried by frame 10. Hydraulic cylinder 46 isconnected between wheel 1 l and frame for adjusting the height of frame5. The press wheel 32 is also a gauge wheel for the seed dispensingmechanism. Press wheel 32 also drives the seed dispensing mechanism bymeans (not shown) and also performs a final firming of the soil aroundthe seed. The press wheel tire 47 is the conventional semipneumatic typehaving an integral centrally located circumferentially extending rib 48which exerts a compressive action on the soil immediately above thedeposited seed to eliminate air pockets and obtain capillary attractionof moisture to the soil around the seed for improved germination anduniform emergence of the seedlings. This type of press wheel controlsthe firming of the soil over the seed and provides adequate groundcontact area for both flotation and traction. This method of firming thesoil keeps the seed zone area clear of trash and the like which mightact as an impediment to seed emergence. In addition, this press wheelperipheral rib 48 leaves a depression in the soil directly over the seedwhich tends to catch and hold any available moisture for beneficial usebefore and after emergence.

Referring to FlG. 2, it should be noted that fluted coulter l2, diskopener 24 and press wheel 47 are located in longitudinal alignment sothat each one of these rotating members is working on the narrow seedbed prepared by the fluted coulter. And if a fertilizer distributor isused, the rotating disk openers 41 thereof also work on this same narrowseed bed. From the foregoing, it is readily apparent as to the savingsproduced by the subject manner of planting. In other words, the groundbetween the narrow seed beds of the adjacent units 16 is not worked andaccordingly this represents labor saving, ground moisture saving andimplement capital investment saving.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated with respectto a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that it is notto be so limited since changes and modifications may be made thereinwhich are within the full intended scope of this invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1., A minimum tiltage planter comprising a supporting frame a. a diskcoulter rotatably supported from said planter frame and being providedwith a fluted peripheral cutting edge with said flutes extending fromsaid periphery radially approximately to the center of i iiv r sifioflflii ria in 2%? iiifigfiii 1321i? downwardly into the ground forforming a narrow band of the order of 1 A inches of worked soil on eachside of a longitudinal axis,

b. a furrow closing and soil compacting member carried by said frame andpositioned rearwardly of said coulter with the transverse midportion ofsaid compacting member lying on said longitudinal axis for compactingsaid narrow bands of worked soil,

c. a furrow opener comprising a pair of coacting soil contacting diskspositioned on said frame between said fluted disk coulter and said soilcompacting member for opening a furrow along said longitudinal axis inthe soil worked by said coulter,

. a seed dispensing device positioned on said frame between said furrowopener and said soil compacting member and communicating with saidfurrow opener for depositing seeds in said opened furrow along saidlongitudinal axis, and

e. a fertilizer distributor positioned on said frame between said diskcoulter and said said seed dispensing device for depositing fertilizerin one of said bands of worked soil adjacent the outer edge thereof.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 and wherein said fertilizerdistributor includes a pair of coacting rotary soil contacting memberspositioned to contact one of said narrow bands of soil worked by saidfluted disk coulter in transversely spaced relation to said longitudinalaxis.

1. A minimum tiltage planter comprising a supporting frame a. a diskcoulter rotatably supported from said planter frame and being providedwith a fluted peripheral cutting edge with said flutes extending fromsaid periphery radially approximately to the center of said disk, saidcoulter being rotatably mounted at the forward end of said frame andbeing spring biased downwardly into the ground for forming a narrow bandof the order of 1 1/4 inches of worked soil on each side of alongitudinal axis, b. a furrow closing and soil compacting membercarried by said frame and positioned rearwardly of said coulter with thetransverse midportion of said compacting member lying on saidlongitudinal axis for compacting said narrow bands of worked soil, c. afurrow opener comprising a pair of coacting soil contacting diskspositioned on said frame between said fluted disk coulter and said soilcompacting member for opening a furrow along said longitudinal axis inthe soil worked by said coulter, d. a seed dispensing device positionedon said frame between said furrow opener and said soil compacting memberand communicating with said furrow opener for depositing seeds in saidopened furrow along said longitudinal axis, and e. a fertilizerdistributor positioned on said frame between said disk coulter and saidsaid seed dispensing device for depositing fertilizer in one of saidbands of worked soil adjacent the outer edge thereof.
 2. The combinationrecited in claim 1 and wherein said fertilizer distributor includes apair of coacting rotary soil contacting members positioned to contactone of said narrow bands of soil worked by said fluted disk coulter intransversely spaced relation to said longitudinal axis.